The Wonders Of Essays
by Ymaconis
Summary: Just a cute little one-shot that contains some of my deeper thoughts of certain Danny Phantom related topics. Not connected to any other stories. DxS TxV Put in friendship for lack of a better genre.


**This was written only so I would have something that was, and always would be, 100% in the Danny Phantom category. And as I am not a dude, there is no way I could own Danny Phantom, unless Butch Hartman is a woman in disguise or something…**

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"Your homework assignment for tonight is to write an anonymous essay about something that matters very much in your life, or something that you feel very strongly about," Mr. Lancer said. "If you would rather take a zero than write the essay, that is always an option. To ensure that you get credit, you will come up and place the essay on my desk when I call your name on Monday for homework check. Now, as you brats have tomorrow off due to a superintendent meeting, I will not accept any excuses as to why you don't have the assignment done on time. We will spend next class reading the essays, discussing them, and attempting to guess who wrote each essay. Class dismissed."

Danny got up almost robotically, his mind whirling. _Something important in my life? I barely have a life, thanks to the combined pressure of ghost-hunting and school. I mean, I can't write about my friends, because that would be way too easy for people to guess… maybe something about life… Got it!_

Danny just about dragged his friends out of the room, eager, for once in his life; to do a homework assignment he was assigned.

XXXXXX

The next Monday, Danny was fidgeting in his seat, impatient for class to start. He sighed in relief when Lancer entered the room.

"Alright, people, do you all have your essays?" Everyone nodded and said yes. "Good. But to make sure you aren't lying, I'm going to call you up in alphabetical order and you are going to place your essays in a pile on my desk, which I will then shuffle to make it so the order will be random."

Ten minutes later, the last kid had placed their essay in the pile, which Mr. Lancer then shuffled. He then flipped the pile over and began reading the first essay, which was titled 'Change'.

_One thing people so often seem to forget is how fast everything in one's life can change. I know how it quickly everything in your life can flip upside and get turned inside out, but one thing I think people often overlook is how not all change is negative. Yes, sometimes all we can think about is how one little occurrence wreaked your life, but occasionally good can rise out of a bad situation._

_I'm not saying that all change is good, because having someone who means everything to you get taken away isn't a positive change in the slightest. I just want people to realize that sometimes we think something wreaked everything, but when we take the time to get our emotions in check, we may find that we were blaming the wrong thing for the cause, or possibly overlooking the truth of the entire situation._

_Sometimes to realize the full extent of a change we have to think about everyone involved, because they'll be affected as well. For the longest time, I couldn't see that I wasn't the only one who changed that night, because __**he**__ was changed to. I threw all the blame on his shoulders without taking his side of the story into account. _

_But now, as I take the time to get my anger and frustration in check, I realize that he just wanted to help. He was just trying to keep the situation from getting even more out of hand than it already was. And yet, more the longest time, I never thought about how he was affected. I never considered the guilt he felt because he arrived a moment too late to stop the mess. I never thought about how he must have felt, seeing the destruction he had tried to prevent, but instead was blamed for._

_It only took me calming down enough to see through the haze of vengeance that had clouded my vision, but that was all I needed to realize I was falsely blaming someone who had just tried to help. That was all it took to change my way of thinking forever, and I'm proud to say this is one change I have no regrets about._

"Now, can anyone guess why the author wrote this?"

"I think they wrote it because they took the time to see that the way they thought about change was wrong," Danny said, taking the class be surprise because he didn't participate often in English class. "They saw that a change often affects everyone that was exposed to the conversion and that just because something looks bad, that doesn't mean there isn't some positive effect as well."

"Very good, Danny," Mr. Lancer said, impressed by the depth of what Danny got out of that essay. "Now, does anyone know who wrote this?"

"It was you, wasn't it Valerie?" Tucker asked. "You're the only one in the class who's had their life flipped upside-down."

"Yeah, I wrote that," Valerie said. "The main change I was referring to was the incident at Axion Labs that lost my dad his high-paying job. And the 'he' I was referring to was Phantom, because for a long time I thought it was all his fault. But I gave some thought to it over the weekend, and realized he had just been trying to catch that ghost dog, not help it destroy the place."

"Very interesting way of thinking, Miss Gray," Lancer said before reading the next essay, a short piece titled 'Phantom Love', which turned out to be about Paulina's head-over-heels crush on Phantom, which caused Danny to make an unnoticed gagging mime to Sam and Tucker, both of whom had to suppress their laughter.

Dash's essay was all about football and how good his was at it, and Kwan's was about clouds at how they looked like footballs (which prompted a very baffled Danny, at least until Sam promised to explain later). Star's was about her gigantic collection of shoes, and Tucker's was, predictably, about his love for his PDA.

Danny's interest was sparked suddenly by a rather intriguing essay.

_There are times when I wonder how __**I**__, someone who acts at least fairly emotionless when my friends aren't involved, managed to fall in love with __**him**__. Not that he's all gross or something, it's just I always figured it would be somebody that was a little more like me. But when I stop to think about it, he isn't all that different than me in the little ways, like how he gets annoyed by his parents and often disagrees with them. And how we both like the same kind of movies and games._

_But when it comes to the big things, that's where he and I differ the most. He's somewhat headstrong, always wanting to rush into the situation without a true plan, whereas I like a good solid plan with several backup ideas in case of a problem. But although I know he means well, sometimes I can't help but wonder how things would be different if certain key events hadn't occurred. What if he had had a different opinion about one seemingly unimportant thing? Would everything have played out differently? Would I only consider him my friend, or would that not even happen?_

_I know it's silly to fret over what might have been, but I would rather fret over that than what could be. Because what if he doesn't feel the same way about me? What if we try to be together and it just causes him more plan?_

_More than anything, I don't want to hurt him. He has enough to deal with as it is, he doesn't need me adding more. Yet that doesn't stop me from yearning to just tell him the truth about how I feel about him. But every time I tell myself this is the day that I will finally confess to him, something comes up and either I lose my courage or the opportunity. The hardest part is that I know I can't keep hiding my feelings, because what if something happens to him and I never get the chance to tell him how I feel? That almost happened once; I don't want it to happen again. Yet, I just can't find the strength to tell him what my heart urges me to say… That I love him._

"Well, somebody in her sure likes someone," Dash said. "Wonder who the love sick puppy gal is? And who the guy she loves is? 'Course, it doesn't really matter who the girl is, because it's only losers left to be named."

Nobody was expecting Sam to sudden get up and smack Dash across the head. Dash's reaction of leaping up from his desk and raising his fist to her was expected though, but not what that caused a certain student to do.

"Leave her alone, Baxter!" Danny yelled, getting up and putting himself between Sam and Dash, facing the class bully with anger in his eyes.

"You must be the one Sam wrote about, because everyone knows you two losers were meant for each other," Dash said, completely calm in spite of Danny get all defense about Sam.

"A) We're only loser to you, Dash, and maybe we think you're the loser," Danny said, grateful that he had a new person to exchange witty banter with, "and B) If you have a problem with Sam and I being together, then I don't know what to tell you, other than maybe you wouldn't be so jealous if you had a girlfriend of your own."

A sudden, deathly silence flew over the class, not even Mr. Lancer so much as quoting a book title in shock. They all just sat there, waiting to see what Dash was going to.

They didn't have to wait long before Dash swung his fist at Danny's head. Everyone was expecting Danny to at least get knocked a couple steps sideways, if not get knocked out.

Nobody was expecting Danny to duck the blow and then use Dash's own momentum against him to send the jock crashing heavily to the ground. And all Danny had to do was place his foot so Dash tripped when he shifted his stance to make up for the miss.

The silence suddenly broke, cheers erupting because Danny Fenton, the school's leading doofus, had just bested star quarterback Dash Baxter in both the wits department and in a fight. And he didn't even have to lift his fist.

"A Wrinkle in Time!" Mr. Lancer exclaimed, recovered enough from his shock to use this trademark sub-in for swear words. "Detention all this week for an attack on another student, Mr. Baxter. Miss Manson, as this is a first offense, you may get off with a warning. Please return to your seat, Mr. Fenton. The two of you as well."

Danny was surprised. No detention? No getting scolded for a solid five minutes before finding out he was in major trouble?

He wasn't permitted to dwell on the sudden change in how Lancer thought, because Sam gave his hand a quick squeeze before sitting down, a warm smile lighting up her face.

Of course, no detention meant he could spend more time with his new girlfriend, so that was a plus. But Danny wasn't allowed to remain in those happy thoughts long, as Lancer began reading another essay.

_People tend to think that there's a solid line dividing tow opposites, that a person can't be both at the same time. That you can't have one foot on one side and the other foot on the opposite side, that it just can't occur. And while maybe that may apply to some things, not everything in this world is as clean-cut as it seems._

_We tend to think of two opposites existing alongside each other as an oxymoron of sorts, but some people in this world live in a giant oxymoron all their life; some more than others. Yet, if there is one thing our society will never truly accept or understand, is that someone can be two opposing things at once. That you actually can have one foot on one side and the second on the other side. That you can be both at the same time._

_I know, it sounds absolutely insane, but it can happen. How or why it happens, I have no clue. A million people could go through the same thing and only one of them would be able to walk in both worlds. The rest would either just die outright or live and recover with no side effects. But the one person out of a million would be different than everyone, just because they would stand in two worlds, on two planes of existence, at the same time. _

_And yet, would you want that? Would you want to be that one person in a million? To be forever labeled as a freak, all because you were different? It wouldn't change who you are, but some people would deny that statement and say that by doing that they had just had it so they weren't human anymore, but is that really the truth? Would you really, instead of being neither, be both? You would be half-dead, would you not? And yet, at the same time, you would be half alive, wouldn't you? And chances are you didn't purposely make yourself able to exist in both worlds, so why should both worlds try to make you an outcast? You may not be standing in the clear anymore, but should that change who you are? If everyone was told them had to go somewhere else just because they were different, the world would be a rather lonely place, wouldn't it?_

"Whoa," Valerie said. "Whoever wrote that sure felt pretty darn deeply about people not being considered outcasts just because they were different."

"But who wrote it?" Paulina asked. When nobody answered, she just got even more curious as to who the author was. "Can't you tell whose handwriting it is, Mr. Lancer?"

"I'm afraid not, Paulina," Lancer said, sounding rather put-off by that fact. "Around half the class typed theirs up, and the student who wrote this was one of those students. But can anyone tell me what this essay made them feel or what it made you think about?"

"I made me realize that we spend too much time wanting everyone to be exactly how we want them to be," Valerie said after a moment of thought. "That sometimes we should just let people be their own person, instead of forcing them to be something or another. We don't know what the future will bring, so it doesn't help if we shun the one person who could save us in the end, because then maybe they won't help us."

"I think that the person considers themselves a freak," Dash said. "But that they also feel everyone has their own purpose in life, and that sometimes they just need to be left alone so that can fulfill that purpose."

The bell rang suddenly, causing all the students to pack up their things and begin to leave.

"We'll finish the essays tomorrow! No homework for tonight! Danny, may I speak with you a moment?"

Danny sighed mentally. So much for not getting in trouble.

"Mr. Fenton, might I ask what prompted you, a quiet, if slightly unruly student to stand up to Mr. Baxter today?"

"I was just tired of putting up with all his stuff, I guess," Danny said. "He gets away with a lot. I just didn't feel he should get away with anything more."

"It's students like you that make me remember why I took this job, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said. "Now run along. I'm sure Miss Manson is waiting for you."

Danny needed no telling twice. He hurried out of the classroom, avoiding Dash when the jock came back to the room with his belongings to serve out his first day of detention.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked Sam, knowing Tucker would either bail if it got too couple-y or just tag along if it was more of the friendship type stuff they normally did.

"Let's go see _Swamp Monster 3_ at my place," Sam said. "But first, we need to talk to Valerie."

"About what?"

"Val, there you are," Danny said. "We wanted to know what you meant about your essay. Because you really made it seem like you decided it was time to forgive Phantom, and if that's what you were going for, we could let him know for you."

"And why would Phantom care if one girl forgives him for turning her life upside down?" Valerie asked.

"Because you happen to be the one girl who actually the Red Huntress, that's why," Tucker said. Upon noticing her shocked expression, he was quick to reassure her. "We didn't tell anyone. Us three only know because Sam and me help Phantom catch ghosts on occasion, and Danny supplies the Fenton equipment you see us using."

"Well, than could you tell Phantom next time you see him that I'm sorry I blamed him for the incident at Axion Labs for so long?" Valerie asked. "And let him know that unless he gets out of line, I'm not going to hunt him, ok?" With that, Valerie turned to walk away.

Tucker shot a quick pleading look to his friends and they gave a quick nod, letting him know it was ok with them. "Valerie, me, Sam and Danny were headed Sam's house to watch _Swamp Monster 3_. If you aren't busy, maybe you could join us?"

Valerie turned back, noticing the look Sam gave her, and the meaning behind it. "Today's my day off, and I was going to spend it hunting down Phantom so I could apologize, but since you guys are going to tell him for me, I guess I could do that. Kinda makes it a double date type thing, doesn't it?"

"Excluding the fact that we aren't dating, yeah, it does," Tucker said. "Unless you want to be my girlfriend, that is…"

"I would love nothing more," Valerie said, a smile spreading on her face. Soon Phantom would know she wasn't hunting him, she had a boyfriend, and best of all, Sam was ok with Valerie hanging out with them.

Danny was equally as happy. He finally was dating the girl of his dreams and Tucker had found a girl to tolerate him. Life was perfect. Or at least, as perfect as it gets when you're half-dead.

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**The moral of this fanfic was to see just how much stuff I could get accomplished. Please leave a review. Ymaconis, signing off! Luv y'all!**


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